Aug. 27, 2021
For new UAM professor, classroom beats the trading floor
By Lon Tegels
College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources
The University of Arkansas at Monticello
Arkansas Forest Resources Center
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast facts:
- Deaton to teach agricultural economics at UAM
- Holds partial appointment with Division of Ag, will work with Cooperative Extension Service
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MONTICELLO, Arkansas — It’s taken a few years, but professionally, Brian Deaton is stepping outside his comfort zone. For the first time in his life, the 44-year-old Texas native has left his home state.
After deciding to return to get back to what he most enjoyed — agricultural economics — he and his family chose Monticello, Arkansas, to put down new roots.
Deaton joined the University of Arkansas at Monticello as an associate professor of agriculture earlier this August and has a partial appointment with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. He will be teaching Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics and will also contribute to the extension efforts of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
Deaton grew up in Abilene, Texas. There, he was exposed to farm life through his grandfather’s ranch in Sanderson, Texas, where he tended goats, sheep and peacocks.
Deaton eventually found his niche in high school at Cooper High School in Abilene, where he took advanced placement biology. Deaton initially wanted to be a veterinarian but soon discovered he enjoyed tinkering with computers more.
He eventually went onto engineering school at top-ranked Trinity University in San Antonio in 2000, where he was a computer science major until his junior year. While at Trinity, during the internet bubble, Deaton became interested in trading stocks. He then took a job as a financial analyst and programmer at a small firm, working there for the next three years.
Deaton then headed to the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University, where he got his master’s degree in finance in 2006. Initially, he had planned to work in hedge funds and become a professional trader, but his interest shifted to markets and information economics. A Ph.D. in Agriculture economics soon followed in 2013.
Deaton next started teaching students at McMurry University in Abilene, where his small class of students grew a $1 million portfolio into nearly $2 million in funds. He said he enjoyed teaching students how to manage money and risks.
“When you can make money on anything, it’s pretty exciting,” Deaton said.
Deaton met his wife, Rebecca, in 2015. They had a long-distance relationship, separated by a four-hour commute. She was living in Garland, near Dallas, while he was in Abilene. Rebecca works for Children’s Relief International, where she helps educate, feed, and clothe children living in poverty. Since the two married, she has been doing most of her work remotely.
While his family enjoys the outdoors and what Arkansas has to offer, Deaton has a wide variety of hobbies. Besides going on family walks with his Catahoula dog, he enjoys hiking, cooking, and tabletop games. In true Texas fashion, he and his wife enjoy kicking up their heels with a two-step and line dance. Both enjoy country western dancing. Their next step is to scout Arkansas for a dancehall.
About the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Arkansas Forest Resources Center
The College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the Arkansas Forest Resources Center, a University of Arkansas System Center of Excellence, brings together interdisciplinary expertise through a partnership between the University of Arkansas at Monticello and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The College and Center are headquartered at the University of Arkansas at Monticello campus, but their programs range statewide with the mission of developing and delivering teaching, research, and extension programs that enhance and ensure the sustainability and productivity of forest-based natural resources and agricultural systems. Academic programs are delivered by the College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources through the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Through the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, research is administered by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, and extension and outreach activities are coordinated by the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
The University of Arkansas at Monticello and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offer all of their programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and are Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employers.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media contact:
Lon Tegels
Director of Communications
College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources
870-460-1852 office
419-303-4223 cell
Tegels@uamont.edu